The junta and the Kokang ethnic armed group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), have met again in Lashio, northern Shan State.

The two delegations met at the Two Elephants Hotel in Lashio, which is currently under junta control, on January 30.

“Around 10:00 a.m. this morning, the junta and the MNDAA met again at Two Elephants. After that, MNDAA troops redeployed along the Lashio-Thibaw (Hsipaw) Road. It was also unusual to see them back near Maehan Village and Sintin Bridge in Lashio Township, since they had pulled out of those areas during the election period,” said a military analyst in Lashio.

The junta and MNDAA representatives met in Lashio on December 29, a day after the first round of voting in the three-phase election held by the coup regime, and agreed to remove the MNDAA checkpoints along the Lashio-Thibaw Road.

Since January 1, MNDAA troops previously stationed at Thibaw Bridge and along the Thibaw-Namlan Road had withdrawn toward Hoya Village Tract in Mongyai Township and Hsinkyawt Village Tract in Thibaw Township.

However, after being closed for about a month, the MNDAA checkpoints along the highway became active again on January 30, with Kokang troops retaking their positions, according to locals.

“We were happy that the Kokang checkpoints were gone. Now they are back. We can see troops on the road in full Kokang force uniforms,” said a driver on the Mandalay-Lashio Highway.

Although the MNDAA withdrew troops stationed at Thibaw Bridge between Thibaw and Lashio in early 2026, the junta has not yet allowed vehicles to cross the bridge, permitting only pedestrian traffic. The junta is also conducting targeted crackdowns and confiscations on Chinese goods imported through areas controlled by the MNDAA and allied groups near the border with China.

The MNDAA had previously captured Lashio City, but under pressure from the Chinese government, it negotiated a ceasefire with the junta and withdrew from the city. Since then, the junta and the MNDAA have met frequently in Lashio, though neither side has shared details of the discussions.

Currently, the junta is carrying out a population census in downtown Lashio wards, targeting young people for conscription, while the MNDAA is forcibly drafting young villagers in rural areas under its control between Lashio and Mongyai townships, leaving residents caught between the two parallel recruitment drives.